A balloon hovers over Valencia High graduates as they wait in the gym for their graduation to begin in this 2011 file photo. ROD VEAL, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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The graduations will offer one last chance for students, their friends and family to rejoice and remember the end of one era before they become consumed with all things college.

This fall, these graduates will work harder to pay for college than others in the past. Cuts to public universities and higher tuition there and at private schools have forced many to alter college plans.

Bittersweet end

Graduations kick off this morning when 500 graduates and their families from Mater Dei High, the county's largest private school, celebrate commencement at UC Irvine's Bren Center.

Among them will be ASB President Jacob Conway, the 11th member of his family to graduate from Mater Dei.

"It has been a privilege to follow in the footsteps of my family members, and so many other amazing Mater Dei graduates," Conway said. "Graduating also means that I can begin my work as an alumnus, and contribute to the school in a new way... I am not sure where life will take me, but some day I hope to send my children to Mater Dei."

This year marks the first graduating class for Yorba Linda High School, a campus that opened with freshmen and sophomores three years ago.

About 400 Yorba Linda students will receive their diplomas June 11. These students will receive a combine $1.7 million in scholarships as they head off to colleges including UCLA, Pepperdine and Harvard.

"This graduating class established our school," said Principal Dave Flynn. "They built our sports programs. They created our clubs. They got everything at this school going. It's going to be exciting to see them graduate, but also bittersweet to see them leave."

At Anaheim High, one of the county's oldest schools, senior Isabel Sanchez said she's spent most of the past couple weeks sharing stories with classmates ahead of their June 13 graduation

"It's been really emotional for me," said Sanchez, bound for Fullerton College. "My high school experience had its ups and downs. But it helped shape who I am today. I met lifelong friends here."

Tough road ahead

About 60 percent of all Orange County graduates are college bound this fall where higher tuition, fewer class choices and other cuts to programs and services await them.

The University of California system approved an 18 percent tuition hike for 2011-12, bringing the annual tuition to $12,192. UC regents are currently considering an increase of 6 percent, or $731 for the upcoming year.

The California State University system will raise tuition by 9 percent this fall, bringing fees to $5,970 while California's community colleges will increase tuition by $10 per unit to $46.

All three systems have also planned to cut staff, increase class size and reduce other services.

The CSU has also considered reducing enrollment over the next two years by as many as 25,000 students. The system received 742,839 applications for this fall, a 6 percent increase from the previous year. But the number of students accepted remained about the same.

"The CSU is caught between a huge demand to attend our universities and a state that simply is not providing adequate funding for these students," said Eric Forbes, CSU assistant vice chancellor, student academic support. "We are facing a tipping point in terms of the promise of access that is at the heart of the CSU mission."

Counselors and other educators said they expect scores of students to graduate in more than four years, or students will take out more costly loans to complete their education.

Patty Long, who will graduate from Garden Grove June 20, plans to attend Cypress College this fall to save money, even though he was accepted to Cal State Fullerton.

"The tuition was just too high to pay myself," she said. "I don't want loans making me fall into debt right away. I would rather wait two years. It's not my perfect scenario, but at least I'll still be working towards my college degree."

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